Stop Sign
by Ren Sapphire
Summary: When Dr. John Smith gets into an accident, he has to put a hold on his hobby of running. But who will be there to entertain him while he stops? Follow this fluffy story of Rose taking care of her quirky friend, while having some difficulties. Very AU and fluffy!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Ever since he was young, he knew he loved to run. Not just little sprints, but full on long-distance stretches. He never knew there would eventually be a point in his life when he would need to stop for a short while.

He didn't know how he would cope. When he finally graduated college with a degree in astrophysics, he became a professor. He taught during the afternoon, he had some free time. So during this period, which was morning and night, he ran.

John loved marathon running. He participated in cross country a few times too. Because of his tall and lanky structure, you could always see him in those recordings of the marathons, just running. Some people even nicknamed him 'Long John Smith.'

People even thought he had two hearts, running so much; they didn't know how all that blood got to beat all around his body. But he just did it, and that was it.

It came to a stop though, just for a short period. Worst period of his life, that was for sure. He lost his independence for those two months. Felt like dying inside too.

His students saw that he had a tired look in his eyes, like all the energy he had building up inside just collapsed. Like a star imploding on itself.

But he wasn't sad, at least not that much. After all, he had his Rose.

He met her while she was moving into the apartment building. She was carrying her bags on one of the new gadgets they had that let you carry 20 pounds on it. Like a clunky clothes hanger.

Her hair was the color of gold, eyes the color of warm hazel, and pouty lips. But her innocent look definitely preceded her. She got that smart mouth from her mum, Jackie, who, to his misfortune, he met later. But that's another story to tell.

He could remember the encounter like it was just yesterday.

_She heaved her way up the stairs, feeling sweat build up. It was a bad idea to wear a jacket today._

"_Need help, miss?" An eccentric voice called. She saw a body, but the man's face was at least two heads above her. He was wearing a track suit. It was blue with pinstripes._

"_That would be fantastic!" She handed him one of the bag hangers. His face dropped a little, and his brown eyes got a little wider._

"_Are you carrying a dead body in here?" He grunted, stomping his way up the stairs. She wondered how he carried her luggage without snapping in half, he was very slim. Her friend, Donna, would probably have a good remark on that. _

"_Maybe, but you wouldn't tell anyone, right?"_

"_Wellll, I've had worse encounters than murder…" He winked at her. He had a similar sense of humor as she. _

"_Oh, really?"_

"_Yes, I've met aliens from other planets and galaxies that convict worse crimes!" _

_Rose giggled. This man must have been on mushrooms or something. Maybe steroids too. Considering he looked like a toothpick and he could carry her very heavy luggage. They really should've built an elevator in this complex._

"_Well, Alien Man, I think we have reached my floor!" She pointed him to the direction of her door. He nodded his head and smiled. She took her key, which was a bit rusty and unlocked door. She let him in first, and then walked in. It smelled like moth balls and old people, she'd certainly have to fix that._

"_If you need help with moving anything else in, feel free to ask. I live in apartment T43, just across the hall from you. If you don't remember, the door is blue; in fact, it's the only blue door in the whole complex! By the way, my name is Doctor John Smith." After he finished his whole ramble, he stuck his hand out._

_Rose smiled and readily shook it._

"_Pleased to meet you, my name is Rose Tyler."_

John did help her settle down, and was happy to make her feel at home. She even let him help pick out things that could be put in her apartment. She specifically loved the rug he helped her pick, which was a rich blue. Almost the same color as his door.

After that, they would always meet up. Sometimes they'd even run together, maybe even dance too. Even though Rose didn't run much before, she did it just to be in his company. He was by far the truest friend she had so far.

And secretly, they started developing feelings for each other. But the other didn't know, but that's a story for later.

Sometimes the secret slipped, like the time John and Rose encountered her ex-beau Mickey. His more protective side showed, and at first Rose was frightened. But later on she realized he did it because he deeply cared for her, even if he was too shy to show it at the moment.

The moment was still crystal clear.

_John and Rose were driving around where she used to live, which wasn't very far away from their own apartment. She moved away because of Mickey, her ex-boyfriend. He was getting too needy and almost became violent, but John didn't know that yet._

"_So, Rosie Posie, where should be grab a bite? I'm starving!" He exclaimed, and grinned as she glared at him. He knew she hated that name, but she remarked back._

"_Well, Johnny Boy, I know this pub just around the corner," He did a playful frown, and she just did her trademark tongue on teeth smile. _

_They did go to the pub, and Rose introduced her to some of the people there. She even showed him the town whore, Shareen. It was very cozy there, with the warm air that didn't smell too bad, and the dark lighting. They both had a glass of wine and a basket of chips, not wanting to go too overboard._

"_So, why did you move in the-"John got cut off by someone slamming his fist down onto the table and making it the shake aggressively. _

"_You moved on to a new boy already, eh?" Mickey growled, and Rose blushed. She quickly explained that John was just her really good friend, and even though John kept a straight face, she saw slight disappointment in his eyes._

"_Why didn't you stay here with me, Rose? Am I not good enough?" Mickey's dark eyes stared down at her. John kept quiet, not knowing what to do yet._

"_You were starting to get out of control!"_

"_How was I out of control? I provided for us! Remember that time we had the scare and I got an extra job just in case!"_

"_MICKEY!" She loudly whispered, very embarrassed. _

"_What? I just wanted you to stay with me, I loved you so much Rose…"_

"_I'm sorry, Mick. But you were starting to get a little violent,"_

"_I was violent? I was just angry sometimes, but I never hit you!"_

"_You always told me that nobody would want me, and you grabbed me so hard sometimes that I would bruise! I would think that's abusive behavior!" She chastised Mickey. He just looked darkly at her and kept quiet._

"_Can you please leave, Mickey, it's over and it has been for a long time," Rose whispered, looking down. She felt so ashamed that this encounter had to happen in front of John. She felt John's eyes on her._

"_No, Rose, I can't leave. Not without you!" Suddenly he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up. She saw the fury building in his eyes, and she knew he was going to do something he would regret._

"_Mickey, please don't do this right now. I'm not coming with you," She mumbled. She felt one of his hands raise up, and she saw his fist clench. She tensed, waiting for it to happen, knowing that she shouldn't fight back. Violence is against her morals._

_Unexpectedly, Mickey's grasp was gone. She heard chairs clatter, and people gasping. Feeling a long arm rap around her, she opened her eyes. She looked up to see none other than John, gasping realizing what he's done. Mickey was across the room, holding his right eye._

"_You never hit a woman, especially not Rose!" John told Mickey, in a voice full of anger. He looked down, and his eyes softened. He asked Rose if she was alright, which she was now. _

"_Let's leave," She took his hand, and she left a 30 on the table. She went to the cashier and apologized, which the cashier totally understood. _

They never really spoke about what happened again, it was too strange.

But they kept on seeing each other, going out for coffee or taking strolls in the park. That is, when they both had time.

John was mostly busy during the week, working at the university from 11 till 6, depending on how much work he had. Rose was the COO of her father's breakthrough company, Vitex, which manufactured energy drinks. They were thinking of sponsoring a space center too.

They still found time for each other during the week, and most certainly during the weekends. They created such a close friendship and they made each other happy.

So when Rose found out about the accident, she was absolutely devastated. She never wanted John to be harmed, after how much joy he brought in her life. Hearing that he was badly hurt brought her down to her knees.

_Rose closed the door, and dumped her bag on the floor. She was going to make some dinner and see if John would like to join her. They haven't seen each other for a few days, and she was really starting to miss him._

_She was going to make his favorite, fish fingers and custard, and for dessert she would make a banana parfait. She would make a salad too; someone in the two should encourage healthy eating._

_Heading to her room to change into something more casual, she had a hunch that something strange was happening. She just felt weird, and she couldn't shake the feeling. Her thoughts kept racing through her head._

_In the oversized shirt that once belonged to John, and a pair of leggings, she headed to the kitchen to prepare the meal._

_Putting the fish fingers in the oven and pulling out the vegetables for the salad, she started cooking. She still had the weird feeling, and she wondered why. She'd tell John about it, he'd probably say something funny about it. Probably tell her that she was turning into a Cyberwoman or something crazy and quirky like that._

_Rose didn't want to make a dinner for two, and be eating it solo, so she headed to the phone to call John. _

_The phone was the same color blue as John's door; he picked out the phone himself. Tried installing it himself too, but cut some wires that weren't supposed to be cut. In the end, they just got an electrician to fix that and install the phone._

_Just as she put her hand on it, it began ringing. Probably was John. _

"_Hello?" The voice on the end certainly wasn't John's. She would take care of this, and then plan a meeting with her friend._

"_Hi, this is Rose Tyler, how may I help you?"_

"_I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your friend, Dr. John Smith, has been badly injured in a car accident. You were the only one on his emergency phone list. He is about to go into surgery at the moment, and we highly suggest that you-"Before the operator could finish the sentence, she dropped to the floor and started sobbing._

_But she instantly toughened up, she had to go and see John. The line on the other end wasn't dead. She got up, and quickly wiped her eyes._

"_I'm right on my way!" Running to her room, she got her boots and coat. She turned off the oven and covered the vegetables in plastic wrap. Picking up her keys, she ran out of the apartment._

_She headed to John's apartment to get him a change of clothes, toiletries, books, and most importantly, bananas. She was sure he would be very cranky after he recovered, and bananas would do the trick to lift his spirits. _

_Walking to her car, she tried to prepare herself for the worst. She really wouldn't want John to die; there would be a giant whole in her heart. If he did survive, she would be there for his every need. Speaking of staying at home, she decided to call both of their workplaces to explain the dilemma. Rose would work from home, and she would discuss with John what he would want to do._

_Driving to the hospital, she didn't turn on the radio. It would give her memories of John purposely singing along badly to the radio, just to make her laugh. She would call him a fool, but she gave him her trademark smile. She didn't know how she was going to smile for him now. _

_When she arrived at the hospital, she all but ran to the ER. The doctor calmly explained to her what happened while leading her to the waiting room, trying to comfort her in her distraught state. _

"_He broke 3 ribs, has a bruised lung, a broken leg, and a broken hand. A pear truck hit his car from the left side; thank goodness there wasn't someone else in the car. Unfortunately, the car is totaled, but that's the least of our concerns." The doctor rambled on, but Rose wasn't listening. She sat down on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, putting her head in her hands. She wouldn't cry; she needed to stay strong. She sighed. _

_Every hour or so, a nurse would tell Rose about John's progress. He was well enough, he was sedated and in a stable state. The nurse also told Rose that in an hour or two, she would be allowed to go to his room._

_The first hour felt like oblivion, but within the second hour, there came a surprise to Rose. _

_She was sitting there, trying to figure out what she would tell John when he woke up. She was sure he would mumble on about his foolishness at not paying attention. He would probably also hate pears even more than he already did. _

_A chair rustles next to her, and she saw a man. He had a James Dean kind of look, with a strong jaw and bright blue eyes. But they didn't seem bright, at the time they seemed very sad. The man had a melancholic smile on his face, and his eyes met hers._

"_I'm sorry to stare, I just couldn't help to notice how sad you look," Rose blushed profusely. He caught her, but he didn't seem too annoyed. _

"_It's okay; I could say the same for you,"_

"_My friend got in a really bad accident. Got hit by a pear truck… he always hated pears," She laughed sadly, remembering how he would argue with her on and on that they were an evil fruit. She didn't believe him until now._

"_My boyfriend got beat up, he defended me… Some people just don't agree with our interactions. By the way, the name's Jack." He held his hand out, and she warmly smiled at him while returning the gesture._

"_My name is Rose, I agree with those interactions by the way," They both grinned at each other, happy to be there for one another._

_For the next hour they talked about why they were there and how they met that special someone. Rose didn't realize the time passed, but John was always on her mind, so she was ecstatic when the nurse told her it was time._

"_Bye, Jack, thank you for the company," She waved to him, and he did his eye-crinkling smirk. She would always remember him, and how he was still somewhat positive during a painful time. _

_The familiar smell of chemicals filled her nose as she walked into John's room. The nurse nodded and left her there without a word. _

_Putting his things on the table, she let one tear drop. She was sad looking at his state, with all the wires surrounding him, and some that were inside him. He looked even skinnier and much paler then he actually was. _

_She pulled up a chair next to his bed, and took one of his hands into hers. It was cold, unlike how she remembered it, being unnaturally hot. She kissed it, mumbling about how he had such a misfortune._

_Hours passed, but time didn't seem to matter to Rose. She stayed so long, that the nurse even brought her a pull out chair to sleep on. _

_Days passed, but warm brown eyes never made their presence. She was told that he was put on a medicine induced sleep, so he could fully heal. It was completely normal that he wouldn't wake up in a day. _

_It was strange not hearing him talk. She missed his banter very much, which she wouldn't have said before. _

_The doctor told her that he might be able to remember more things if she talked to him, as the doctor said he hit his head and there was a chance of amnesia. So she did talk, in fact, she almost started to sound like him with the long words streaming like a water fall._

"_Before you had an accident, I had a weird feeling. It's like I knew you were going to get hurt. I was making dinner for us, your favorite too. Fish fingers and custard. When you get home I'll make you all the fish fingers and custard you want, and I'll let you have more than three bananas a day, but not every day. You won't be able to run for at least 2 months, you broke your leg…" She kept going on and on. It was later on that night that she realized why he talked so much._

_When he was younger, his whole family got killed by a gang. They were called the Daleks, a notorious gang known for their brutal torture. His father got into some messy things with them, as he needed to pay them back for a transaction that happened when he was a teenager. He used to be a drug addict. Anyways, they wanted revenge so they killed the whole family. But the family didn't go down without a fight; they hurt those Daleks real bad. The Daleks that did survive were scared out of their wits, and that is why they didn't go after John. Before they killed John's immediate family, his father told him to run away and keep a legacy._

_Rose realized John had trauma, and he probably talked so much to keep his mind off it. And maybe he was so intelligent because he dove into studies. When his family got killed, he was just about off to college. _

_She remembered when she first heard, she was crying. John shed only but a tear, and that was over with. She tried not to mention it, as she lost her father. She couldn't imagine what losing a whole family was like._

_When John did wake up, it was 6 days after the accident. She was right by his side, and it was a very exciting moment._

_She was just looking at him, pushing his hair out of his face. She suddenly saw one of his eyelids to flutter open. He then started coughing, and she rushed to go get a nurse._

"_Wait!" He wheezed, holding a hand out. She ran back to his bedside, holding his hand and smiling. He returned it, with much effort._

"_Let me get you some water," She went to the table and filled a cup with lukewarm water, not wanting his throat to be uncomfortable._

_She handed it to him, and he simultaneously gulped it down. He then crushed the cup, and winked at her._

_He was about to speak, but he then frowned._

"_It… hurts… to… breathe…" He whispered, cringing with pain. She sadly smiled at him, and told him not to speak. She pressed the nurse button._

After that, two days passed and they were told he was well enough to be at home on bed rest. Rose was given a bag with all the painkillers he would need to take, bandages, and crutches for later. It was easier for him to breathe, as he talked slower than he normally did.

John wasn't very happy while living the pale environment, and he was glad that it would be Rose that would take care of him while he was at home. Rose didn't know just yet how crazy it would be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Rose wheeled John out of the hospital, while a nurse was behind her balancing the entire luggage. They argued over who would do what, but John interrupted, saying he missed Rose and wanted her near him. They was no fighting with him, he was outrageously stubborn. Almost as stubborn as Jackie.

Speaking of Jackie, she was absolutely crazy when she found out John was in an accident. Even though she fought with him when she saw him, she always cared for him. He was a little strange, but very compassionate about the things he cared about. She was happy that Rose found him.

So when she heard he was coming home, she offered to clean up both of their apartments, and to make refreshments. She couldn't stay to greet them, as she had to watch Tony. Pete was off at a business trip, so he couldn't watch the rascal.

The nurse grunted as she put all the bags inside Rose's trunk, while Rose groaned while lifting up John. Even though was lanky, he was heavy from his tall height. He tried to maneuver himself so the job would be done easier.

"This is payback from the time when I first met you, "He told her, with a troublesome glint in his eye. She glared at him, but she couldn't do it for long, as the statement was truly hilarious.

Rose buckled John in the car, and then went to thank the nurse. She apologized for all the bags, but it was unavoidable. John needed many things to adapt comfortably in environments. Kind of like an exotic species, just more human.

Rose breathes out a sigh of relief when she got back in the car. She looked over at John, and then held his hand in hers.

"Ready to go, sailor?"

"Aye, Aye! Captain!" They both laughed, and she started the engine. She drove home at a careful pace, not racing like she wanted to. She wanting to get John home as soon as possible, and take care of him.

"Which apartment would you like to stay in?" She asked him. She also told him she wouldn't mind coming over to his anytime he needed her, and for her not to stay full time if he needed privacy.

"I'll go in mine, if you want to you can stay with me so you don't have to switch back and forth,"

"Okay, I'll just pick up some things from mine," The rest of the drive continued with a comfortable silence, with shared smiles and looks. After all the commotion, silence was a pleasant surprise.

When they got home, Rose had to make to trips to get them settled. One trip to carry all the items to John's room, and one trip to help John up the stairs; Rose couldn't decide which was more difficult. She was going to complain to the landlord to get an elevator. Although it wasn't the landlord's fault the apartment was a vintage luxury one.

Rose tried to maneuver the bags into a position where she could balance them, and still have a free hand to open the door. It was very tricky, and she found that she was grateful that she took weight lifting classes.

"There we go," She opened John's door, and literally dropped on the floor breathing heavily. She didn't want to make a mess, and she didn't want John to trip, so she put them into a neat pile.

Then she went to her apartment to pack her toiletries, books, music, clothes, computer, and paperwork that her father left her. It's not like it would be much different working from the office, she would just need to divide her time equally. Her first priority was John, so she would probably work at night when John slept and wouldn't need her care.

After she put her stuff away in John's guest room, she walked downstairs to retrieve John. She knew it was going to be difficult, but things always worked out in the end.

"There she is!" John smiled, and held his hands out. She put her arm around his skinny form. If he wasn't limping, it would've been weird carrying him, and he is much taller than him. Thankfully, she could somewhat support his weight.

"Hopefully you won't fall and break your head,"

"That's the spirit!" They started their trek up the stairs, which surprisingly wasn't hard at first. But then John's other leg started hurting because all his body weight was put on it, and he didn't run for a long time. Not since the morning of the day of the accident.

"If you don't stop stumbling, we'll both fall off the stairs!" Rose cried, trying to balance him. He grimaced in pain, and she felt bad for scolding him. Staring apologetically, the continued up the stairs, stopping now and then to catch a breath.

When they got to his apartment, she put him near a wall so he could balance himself while she opened the door.

"Nobody leaves baby in the corner," She glared at him while she helped him walk into his apartment.

"I'm not afraid to push 'baby', so don't try me,"

"I always liked em' feisty. I think you get it from your mum…" She shook her head at him and helped him settle on the couch.

"Even though you slightly offended me, I am here for your service, so please tell me if you need anything,"

"You know what would be real great at a time like this?" Giving her that weird look she absolutely adored. It was the same look he gave her that one time when they were together during a snowfall.

"What would that be?" She knew exactly where he was going with this.

"Bananas! High in potassium, and very delicious, might I add!" She rolled her eyes, and walked over to the kitchen.

"Hey, John, while I'm at it, would you like some tea as well?"

"Of course! Tea always makes me feel better! You know me so well, Rose, I am so proud of you. Maybe you hang around me too much, but that's fine. I'm brilliant, which makes you brilliant. Not like you're not brilliant already, but I just-"She laughed as he continued rambling on. Who knew that he could still have that spark on him after he got hurt.

Putting the kettle on, she got the milk out of the fridge. She also took some honey out too. And some cinnamon. Was her mum's recipe for 'the most delicious tea in the world.' At least, John said it was. She didn't argue with him.

While Rose was making him tea, John turned the telly on. Flipped to his favorite channel, which was obviously the science channel. They had a program on about black holes, and he felt like today was his lucky day. Rose, tea, bananas, and space science, he couldn't ask for more in life. Well, he could also ask for a Harry Potter book.

He should remember to ask Rose to bring it for him tomorrow, when he had more energy. He had the whole series in his book shelf, which was almost jammed. Once he gets better, he should buy another one.

Rose walked into the room with tea in his favorite blue mug, and two bananas. John couldn't just have one banana in one sitting; it was completely against his morals. He was like an oversized monkey.

"Thanks, Rosie, don't know what I'd do without you," He greedily grabbed the bananas, and moaned as he finished the first one. He took a sip of the tea, and then breathed out. It was very hot, and he needed to adapt. The hospital tea was usually lukewarm, so it was a big change.

"Wouldn't want to burn your tongue off,"

"I'm sure you would like me to. Scorching my marvelous taste buds off, what a shame. But it's worth it; your mom has one mean tea mix!" Careful sips turned into big gulps once he adjusted to the tea's temperature. Rose just laughed, and cautiously sat down next to him. She didn't want to make the couch sink too much, and cause John discomfort.

They sat there for about an hour, and that's when John fell asleep. Rose wouldn't blame him, as the hospital beds were very uncomfortable, and his couch was very warm and cushiony. And although she really liked learning about space, the program was downright boring. The television show host made it worse with his monotone voice.

Rose didn't want John to get a crick in his back, and have an ache in his rib area. But she didn't want to wake him up from his much needed sleep. She weighed out her options carefully, and decided it would be best if she moved John to his bed.

Tapping his shoulder, he sleepily opened his eyelids. He looked like a cat arousing from a power nap, although it had only been five minutes.

"We don't want you to be walking like a geezer, do we?" Holding her arm out, she waited for him to sit up. Purposely being slow, and groaning, he sat up.

They did the whole stair process again, except, on flat ground. Which made the trip to his room much less difficult for the both of them.

Walking near his bed, John pulled his bedspread out so Rose could put him in bed without him sitting on it. She was about to leave when she heard him call out.

"Rose…Wait," Her large eyes turned over to face him. Her hand was on the door frame.

"Yes, John?"

"Could you stay here… I don't feel warm without you." She blushed and she looked hesitant. But she couldn't say no to those warm brown eyes.

"O..kay, if you ever feel uncomfortable, let me know." Getting into the bed, she faced him. She had a small, nervous smile on her face.

After a few seconds he fell asleep, and Rose could feel herself drifting off too. The bed was so warm, and his smell was enveloping her. The comforting smell of vanilla and cinnamon; spicy and sweet like John.

_They were in a park, lying on his favorite coat. They were watching clouds, and they called out what each one looked like._

"_That one looks like a bottle!"_

"_That one looks like a banana!" Rose and John both laughed at their silly observations. All of a sudden the clouds began to disappear, and fog enveloped them._

_The fog was a heavy weight on Rose, and darkness started to envelope her._

"_John?" _

She woke up only to find that John's arm was wrapped around her. That was probably the heavy weight in her dream. Another thing that probably woke her up was the noises coming from the kitchen.

Lightly tucking John's arm on the bed, she lightly moved off the bed. Just in case it was an unwanted intruder, she grabbed John's hockey stick for protection.

"Hello?" she called out. "Hello Rose! I just came to make you two dinner… Knocked a coupla times, but you never answered, so I found the spare key from under the rug." Jackie rattled out. Rose dropped the hockey stick, and walked to the kitchen where wonderful smells were wafting.

She needed to remember to tell John to hide his spare key better.

"Thanks Mum, sorry we didn't answer. We were taking a power nap-"Before she continued, her mother started yapping away.

"Why were you two sleeping in the same bed? You getting together? Oh my god, you two are together! Congra-"

"MOM! We aren't together, relax!" Jackie just gave her a knowing look. "What?"

"I see the look you two give to each other, you just wait in see," Jackie laughed as she told Rose.

As Rose blushed, she heard a voice.

"Rose, who are you talking to?" It was John. He probably woke from Jackie's naturally boisterous voice. And boy! Was he in for a surprise, his favorite person was here!

"Oh, John! You poor thing!" Jackie ran to his room, and she heard John groaning while she fussed over him. Rose's mom had some motherly nature toward him, as he lost his mother. But she still annoyed him.

"I'm fine, Jackie! Now could you please- stop- kissing- me," Rose laughed, as she saw her mom pecking his face and hugging him.

"I wonder how I'm still nice to you after all your complaints… I made you dinner, and a wonderful dessert. I cooked better than Rose, if you ask me…" Jackie almost rambled as much as John, so Rose butt in.

"If you are a better cook, I'm sure you are a better supporter. Be a love, and help him over to the dinner table." Both of them pouted, but Rose walked out before they could protest. As she set the dinner table, Jackie set John down in a chair. She brought him a pillow so he could have more comfort.

When Rose was about to set a third plate on the table, her mum stopped her.

"I'm going out with Pete and Tony for dinner, but thank you for thinking I was going to stay here. Goodbye, loves." She hugged Rose, and she pecked John on the lips.

After Jackie left, John stuck his tongue out.

"If Pete knew how much she kissed me, he would probably run away," he told Rose. "He probably knows, he most likely just doesn't bring it up!" They both laughed.

"What would you like?" Pointing to each of the different dishes Jackie made them for dinner. There was pan seared chicken, steamed vegetables, quinoa, and roasted sweet potatoes.

"I'll have the chicken, the quinoa, and the sweet potatoes. Gotta get my energy levels up." He stared at the dishes hungrily, as if he hadn't eaten for a long time. Well, he hadn't eaten a homecooked meal for a long time.

"High energy levels at night? Don't tell me you have insomnia," She handed him the plate, and he almost ate right away. But being the gentleman, he waited till Rose got food. That was the way he was raised.

"If I had insomnia, I would be knocking on your door every night and ask if you wanted to play a game of chess," He looked at her smartly. She just rolled her eyes, and chewed on a piece of broccoli.

John just smiled at her, and continued eating his meal. Which was off his plate very fast, but instead of going for seconds, he asked a very childish question.

"When's dessert?" To which Rose replied. "After you eat some veggies."

He pouted, and then complained he was a grown man, and that he should have the right to dessert right that instant. To which Rose counter replied. "Why did you ask me in the first place?"

He groaned, and just put a hand over his face. Rose knew this could lead to John's version of a filibuster, so she went to the kitchen to retrieve the banana bread.

John inhaled the scent as it was to the table.

"God has answered my prayers!" He took out the cake spatula thingy, and cut a huge piece.

"Do you want a piece?" He asked Rose, hoping she'd no. He needs alone time with this wonderful, delightful, beautiful type of food.

"I risk a lot to keep a good figure, lucky you with your high metabolism… I swear you're an-"Before she could finish, she heard a 'thump' as he put the whole loaf onto his plate. He was going to have a major sugar rush, but once he put his mind to something, nothing could stop him.

"Don't complain to me when you can't fall asleep," she sniffed while he practically shoved the whole loaf down his throat. "Gud yew get mwe some mulk," he asked her after many large bites. Nodding her head, she went to the kitchen and filled a tall glass with milk. He gulped it down, and breathed out loud. Half the loaf was gone, and he patted his stomach, which was just slightly swollen from the large food intake. The man wouldn't even gain a pound.

"Thanks, you saved me from a parched mouth,"

"Wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?"

"No, but what we do want to happen is watching the science network," Rose just laughed, and helped John up to go to the living room. She would clean the dishes later, as she wanted to spend some time relaxing with John. Even if she was usually bored with the programs on the science network, John's feedback was worth it.

As they settled on the couch, the lights started flickering. "Damn it," John knew what was going to happen, he just didn't know why. The power turned off after many flickers, so it technically wasn't sudden.

"What do you want to do now?" Rose wasn't sure what his mind would be up to, but she knew he would think of something not technology based. "Before we think of ideas, reach between the back cushions of the couch to get the emergency flashlight," While she did, she asked him why he kept one there. He just said that he kept flashlights hidden all over the place, as you would never know when you would need one. She just sighed, and turned the flashlight on.

"I would say to just hit the hay, but it's a bit too early, and I have too much energy," He told Rose, with a hand on his chin. "I would suggest to read, but it would be a pain to light many candles, and risk your apartment going up in flames," They were stumped.

"Rose, John?" There was a knocking at the door. An all too familiar voice boasted. Jackie.

"Yes Mum?" Rose got off the couch, and found her way to the door using the emergency flash light. Thank goodness for John's quirks.

"Come to the mansion, we have the emergency generator. I'm sure you and John would be much more comfortable," Opening the door, Jackie came in while chattering. Rose wasn't sure about the prospect of John and herself staying with her family for the night. It would be awkward, but it would be easier for John's needs. It would be so difficult to get him around in the dark.

"Okay, let me just pack things up… Thank you so much, Mum!"

"No problem, sweetheart. I'll get John down for ya," Jackie walked over the living room, having a headlight attached to her head. She could her John groaning, but in a somewhat joking matter. She heard them both slowly walking out of the apartment, while she was packing some things.

Many things were left somewhat unpacked from the hospital, so it didn't take too long for her to finish up. She cautiously left the apartment, and made sure she locked it.

Walking down stairs, she balanced the few bags, and the heavy flashlight. She opted for the bigger one, and it cast more light. She didn't want to trip over the stairs, and then be temporarily dependent. Wouldn't want Jackie having to be responsible for both her and John.

Walking over to the hummer, which was shining in the moonlight, she breathed out. Today had been a long day. She wondered why the power went out, and how long they would have to stay with her family. Especially if the power would be out for a few days, but she doubt it would be that long.

After shoving the luggage into the car, she climbed her way up to the backseat with John. Her mum was riding shotgun, while a guard was driving the car.

Leaning her head back on the seat rest, she felt John hold her hand in his. Thankfully, his hand was warm again, and it was a comforting feeling.

But soon, there would be the slight discomfort with staying with her parents and brother again. How would they survive?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Getting John out of the car was a bit of a struggle, as the car was very high. So in the end, the burly guard just lifted him out, which made the whole thing easier and awkward.

It looked like the guard was holding a gigantic noodle in sweatpants and a graphic t-shirt. The guard set him down, and Rose wrapped her arm around John's waist to steady him. They wobbled their way into the mansion, and were greeted with a warm welcome from her father and Tony.

"John! It's so good to see you again," Pete shook John's house, a smile gracing his face. "John! John! Are you better?" Tony hugged John's uninjured leg, and John reassured him that he was now well, thanks to his older sister.

"Rose, how are you sweetie?"

"I'm good, thanks for having us over. Do you know what caused the power outage?" They walked over to the living room, and got settled on the leather couch.

"Well, a tower fell over recently near this area, and when it went down, it took the wires down with it. We're trying to get back up, but for now people have to use their emergency generators."

"Mom probably came over because she knew our building was so old, that it didn't provide us with generators!" They all laughed, because it was true. While they talked, the butler came over with some drinks. John was about to pick up a banana daiquiri, but Rose gave him a warning look. No one needs to be drunk on alcohol and even more sugar. He just opted for water.

"John, Rose, will you play with me?" Tony asked them and the look he had in his eyes had been so innocent. They couldn't say no, it would just be a crime.

"Tony, don't drive them crazy. It's your bedtime soon, so don't play too long." Jackie warned him, her stern side coming out. He just rolled his eyes, and ran to the playroom, not waiting up for them.

"Oi, wait up will ya?" John called out to Tony, trying to wobble faster. "Ay, ay! John, calm yourself! It's only been a day out of the hospital, and you're going wild!" She puckered at him, he just sniffed.

When they got into the room, John looked around like it was still his first time there. As if he were some kid in a grown up's body.

The walls were a navy blue, and the room was overflowing with toys. There were also cushions, pillows, and blanket spread everywhere; so if you fell, you would be fine.

"Let's play space rangers!" Tony pulled out his toy astronauts, which were in a box. He had way too many. "I call being the alien!" John instantly pulled out the grotesque-looking figure.

"Rose, you'll be a defender, like me. Family business, eh?" Tony gave her a figurine, which was completely disproportional, if you asked her. Who could have a bum and bust that big, while still having a petite waistline?

They did as Tony said, as he had the stubborn Tyler gene. He made a crazy scenario, where John 'the alien', was about to take over London and have control over mannequins. The boy watched way too much T.V.

John was totally into it, his eyes lighting up as if he were having the time of his life. "This almost beats watching The Lion King! And reading Harry Potter, but I can never pick between the two-"He was about to ramble on, but Tony told him to get back into the game.

Rose wasn't involved much, but she was perfectly content with watching them play. Sometimes it was very funny watching John being even more childish than he already was.

"Aww, darn it! Why do you always catch me?" John whined, as supposedly Tony's character captured the alien.

"Because I have backup, Rose led me to you. Her character found you, didn't you Rose?"

"Aw Rose! I thought we were best mates."

Rose got out of her revere, not realizing what crime she supposedly committed against John. She decided to take the credit, just for the fun of it. And to see how John would react.

"If I can't keep you under control, the team can. I'm doing it for your own good,"

"But you can, I promised you I wouldn't set your house on fire!"

"I can't go against my brother, I just met you. And you're an alien, who knows, you could be conspiring against me,"

"Well, now I am!" He pretended to have an evil look in his eye. Rose tried her hardest not to laugh, the she bit her lip. A few giggles escaped. They continued to story line, and the so called alien, John, was in the facility.

They were about to do a scene where the alien escaped, when someone came in the room. "Time for bed, Tony! Tell John and Rose goodnight." Jackie waited for Tony to give Rose her goodnight kiss, and John his hug.

"Oogh!" Tony squeezed John very hardly. "It's good to have you back, John." He left the room holding Jackie's hand.

"Golden boy, he is."

"Learns it from the best," Rose did her tongue on teeth smile, John just snorted. He then yawned. Time had passed by quickly, as they played with Tony for at least an hour and fifteen minutes. It was a quarter to ten.

"I think it's time to take the stone road to Bedfordshire," Rose helped John up, and they went to tell her parents goodnight.

* * *

When they got to the living room, the whole house was silent. Everyone probably went to bed, as they had a long day ahead tomorrow. Especially her parents, who were on town committee. They'd probably have to go to a conference to discuss how they would build a new building, and make the power wires more strong. Probably could put them underground… She should probably tell the idea to her dad.

They walked to the eastern wing of the house, where the guest rooms where. Rose chose out the biggest room, with the most comfortable bed. At least, in her opinion.

She turned the lights on in the room, and set John on a chair, so she could pull the satin bed covers over. Helping him, he got settled into the bed. She kissed his forhead, and went to turn the lights off.

She was about to leave again, and you could guess what happened.

"Could you stay?"

Snores were the loudest noise in the room, besides the slight chatter of the television. Rose couldn't fall asleep just yet, so when John fell asleep, she put the T.V. on with a low volume. Watching cartoons, of course. She didn't really like anything else.

When one of the cartoon characters jumped, she felt an arm drape around her waist. She heard some slight mumbling too.

"John, you awake? Do you need anythin'?" Maybe he woke up from the noise of the telly. He sometimes was a light sleeper, but it wasn't usual. At least, that's what he told her.

"'Ello, my lovely Rose." His eyes were closed, and his voice sounded a bit weird. He was most likely sleep talking, and if you didn't know him well, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference from his regular talking to his dream filled ones. Rose decided to have some fun talking to his subconscious.

"How are you, anything interesting happen?"

"Wellll… I was in an alien ship, and I quoted The Lion King. They were so mad that they cut my arm off. They were rude aliens, and they weren't ginger!" Rose tried her utmost best not to laugh; she didn't want to wake up John.

"What about me, what was I doing?"

"You talked to them about alien governments. They called you 'the pink and yellow girl.' Don't you think that's lovely? Just like you!"

"And how come you think I'm lovely?"

"Well, you're pretty. Very pretty. And you're smart, even though you remind me of a shop girl," She frowned, but she let him continue. "You know, I like you very much, do you like me very much?" His eyes were still closed, and he still had that nasally, weird voice. It wouldn't hurt to tell him, his waking body wouldn't know.

"Yes, I do. Extremely."

"Fantastic." After that he was silent. She assumed he was stuck in a dream again, and wouldn't be able to amuse her anymore.

She eventually became tired, around one o'clock in the morning. She turned the telly off, and got comfortable. Pulling the sheets close to her neck, she finally closed her eyes.

His arm was still on her. A comfortable weight.

* * *

Knocking awakened Rose; she stretched and opened her eyes. She rubbed her eyes, and threw herself out of bed. John was still soundly asleep, and that's when she heard a strained whisper. "Rose, Rose, you in there?"

"Yes, Mum. I just woke up, wait a sec," She opened the door, and her mom stood there with a smug smile on her face, and hands on her hips. Jackie was wearing her hot pink Velour suit, which was her favorite. She had way too many clothes.

"I knew it, I knew it!" She continued before Rose could interrupt. "You weren't in your room, so I just knew you would be in here… Did you two-"

"Mum! No, how many times do I have to tell you!" Rose whispered and blushed, looking over at John, and then back at Jackie. Jackie just smiled, and there was a twinkle in her eyes.

"Anyways, Dad wants your opinion on something. I'll stay here with 'im. Go on," Jackie shooed Rose out of the room, and went over to sit on the bed.

Just about as Rose was going to close the door, her mom stopped her.

"Remember when you're done to bring the fella somethin' to eat. And don't forget tea!"

"Will do, Mum," She walked out of the room, and headed to her father's conference room. The butlers and the maids told her 'Good morning,' as she walked past them. Stopping at the kitchen to retrieve a cup of tea, she headed to her dad's office.

"There's the Bad Wolf!" Her dad was on a teleconference with the different members of the town's committee. Her nicknamed her 'Bad Wolf' for her die hard behavior; let's just say she could be a bit icy with specific clientele. And sometimes her father, if he annoyed her.

"Hey you Big Oaf!" She sat down in one of the comfortable wheeled chairs.

"So we wanted some of your input on the situation, because you are very good in dire situations. We were thinking of communicating to some of the bigger cities for a generator until we fix some of the wiring. And for the building… well… it was a store. I think we could open our first Vitex supported space center there,"

"I agree with you on the building part, but how long will the rewiring take? If the take a long time, I would suggest we use some of the new developed energy generator that the scientists created,"

"We are already on the wires, could probably take a week. I think the normal generator will do," The conference went on for another two hours, and at times they had arguments. In the end, they came to an agreement about the new scientific building in the place of Henrik's. As for the energy, they were going to ask for a powerful generator from London. The wiring would be done in five days' time, so Rose decided that she and John would stay there. She didn't want to risk being in the apartment and having problems.

When the conference finished, Pete instantly sprung out of his chair, kissed Rose on the cheek, and went to get ready for work. Rose went over to Tony's bedroom to wake him up, which turned out to be a hard task.

"Tony, wake up! You've got to go and get your education, that is, if you want to be really smart one day,"

"Like John?"

"Sure, if that's motivation for you,"

"But I don't want to go to school! I haven't seen you or John for a long time! Can't John just teach me?"

"I'm sorry Tony, but I don't think Mum will allow it. Don't worry, we will be staying for four more nights, and we'll see you after!" He sighed, and got out of bed. She helped him get his uniform on, and then headed with him to the kitchen.

The maid went on to deal with him, while Rose went to prepare John a breakfast platter. Oatmeal with bananas, French toast with syrup on the side, some fruit, some eggs, and some tea. Lucky man he was, having breakfast in bed.

She returned to the room, only to see John have a look of despair in his eyes. Jackie was coddling him, and he didn't want to be rude and push her away. Rose thought that he secretly liked it, as he didn't have his own mother to do that for him.

"Look who finally came with your food, thank you Rose," Jackie picked up the oatmeal, and took a big glob out. She was about to spoon feed him, and he had the strangest face on. Rose just had to help him, no matter how hard she tried not to laugh.

"Mum, I think he is capable of feeding himself,"

"I don't want him to exert much energy, John should be resting!"

"Mum, I can assure you he has more than enough energy to spare. Besides, don't you want to take Tony to school, I woke him up and got him ready for yah," Her mom gave her a look that said 'you win'.

Jackie huffed, patted John's hands, and left the room. John had the happiest look on his face.

"You don't know how grateful I am!" His eyes were wide.

"Thank me, and kiss my feet." Rose giggled, and he followed along, sounding somewhat sincere. "I would've, that is, if I could've."

Smiling, Rose decided to give him more of a shock and tell them they were staying more than expected. He groaned, and he was expecting more coddling. Not that Rose knew that he probably wasn't all that upset.

The 4 days passed pretty quickly, with all the Jackie fussing, and playing with Tony. Although it was a pleasant stay, they were relieved to return back to the apartment.

"Rose, remember to tuck him in just the way he likes! And remember to-"Her mom was calling out as she drove away after they got dropped off. The guard looked like he was having the time of his life, with a hollering woman in the car. Not.

"Don't worry, John, I know what to do." John just snorted. "I think you do it better than her," Rose just laughed and helped him up to the apartment, while holding bags.

Once the door was open, John breathed in the scent of his apartment. The smell of cinnamon, bananas, and old books filled his nose, and he was absolutely satisfied. Especially with Rose being in his presence all the time.

"Could you take me over to my desk, I would like to grade some papers?" He asked her, and she said 'of course'. She also said that she would get some work done, and that if he needed anything that he should just holler her name.

Getting the papers out of the manila folder, he separated each test separately. He then took out his favorite grading pen, which was green, and held the cap in his mouth. It was a very bad habit, but he had it since an early age. He remembered the first time Rose saw him with a cap in his mouth. She flipped out worse than his grade school teachers.

So he couldn't do it front of her, and especially not in front of Jackie.

His students were doing well, especially Martha. She was his best student, but he thought she fancied him. He only had eyes for one woman, so Martha's dream wouldn't be able to come true.

He picked up another piece of paper when he heard Rose scream.

"Dammit! Stupid paper cut!"

Trying to hold in his laughter, he asked her if she was all right. "You alright, Rose?"

"Just cheeky!" She snorted out loud sarcastically, and walked into his room. She was sucking on her thumb, and her face was flushed.

"Where do you keep your band aids?" She asked him, holding her swollen thumb. He kept them in his desk, so he pulled out one of the compartments and pulled out a box.

"Harry Potter band aids, you're one lucky woman Rose," She picked out the band aid that had Ron on it, and put it on.

"Thanks John," She smiled and walked out of the room, compressing her throbbing thumb. It was going to be so much more difficult for her to type now.

Writing a thesis wasn't that easy, so she had drafted it in her notebook. She was looking for previous notes she took during one of her dad's meetings, when she nicked her thumb. Out of all of the things she hated, besides stubbing her toe and masquerades, getting paper cuts was at the top.

And because of this little band aid interaction, she had a memory to put on her mental list. Favorite things about John. He was just so quirky, that suddenly, she would get a paper cut just to get one of his wacky band aids.

Silly doctor he was, that's for sure.

John was grading papers, and he felt a heaviness settling over him. When you have too much energy, and don't use it accordingly, you shut down. This happened to him many times, as grading was tedious. That's why he tried to avoid tests and worksheets, where he could go on and on and the students could record. That was the fun part.

All this thinking was making him even more tired.

"A little nap wouldn't hurt," He tells himself, letting the sleepiness take over. The smells of his home comforted him as he drifted off.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The noise of footsteps hardly hitting the floor awakens him. He hears panting, and sobs, so he opens his eyes to see what is happening. The sight scares him.

Rose is standing in his doorway, her face tear streaked. There is a long gash on the left side of her face, but it looks like the blood has slightly dried. Blood is also streaked all over her clothes, and her hands.

"John, John, we have to leave immediately!" She screams and helps him up. She then gives him crutches, and runs to the living room. Once he can maneuver himself, he hobbles over to catch up with her.

Familiar looking men are on the floor, all dead. From the looks of it, they were brutally murdered. But they deserved it. They were Daleks.

"I'm sorry John, I'll explain later." She wipes tears from her eyes, and heaves a bag over her shoulder. Opening the door, she waits for him to hobble out. "How am I going to go down with crutches?" He feels bad asking the question at the moment, but he wants to avoid tumbling down the stairs.

"My father and his guards are about to be here any second," Suddenly they hear the main entrance door open and close. "Here there are. One of the guards will be able to carry you. I know you are confused and scared, but right now I can't tell you the truth."

A burly guard wearing a black jumper approaches them. Rose nods at him, and he picks up John bridal style. Rose carries the crutches down the stairs, while the guard follows behind her. John blushes the whole time, but he knew deep down in his heart that this was necessary.

They get outside. The air smells of smoke and roses, which is a strange combination. Smoke emits from a blown up car, which John realizes, is Rose's. The Daleks probably have blown it up.

"Get him in the jeep, we're going to Torchwood," Rose snapped, and they walked over to the large car. John was put in the back of the car, and Rose went back with him. The guard went to the front of the car, where another guard sat next to him. They put up the privacy window, and Rose looked at John sympathetically.

"There is a lot I haven't told you," She told him. He was about to snort, when she began to continue. "But I'm going to tell you now, and you better listen close, because I'm not repeatin',"

"I sort of lied about my job, I am an heiress to my dad's company, but we aren't starting a space organization. We are starting an undercover agency, where we attack secret cults. It's called Torchwood."

"I moved next to you to keep you safe. We have been keeping tabs on you ever since the unfortunate death of your family." Suddenly she stops. "I-I-I was supposed to keep you safe, but I terribly failed. They found you!" Rose started crying, and John puts an arm around her.

"I thought I would be the one crying," Rose looks up at him and smiles. But it doesn't reach her eyes.

The rest of the drive the keep silent, but it was a comfortable silence. So many thoughts were running through his head. _What did the Daleks want from him? His fortune? His knowledge?_

Rose held his hand, which was slightly shaking. When they were halfway to Torchwood, Rose made a quick stop to get bandages for her face. The cut wasn't too deep, so it would leave just a light scar that could be covered with makeup.

"I'm really sorry this happened, I should've been more careful,"

"Rose, I'm sure you tried your best. But honestly, you saved me in a different way. You kept me company, and you make me happy. I couldn't ask for more, and even though it's a tough time, I'm glad it's you protecting me," He comforts her, and she hugs him. She stopped crying, but she still felt really upset.

They look at each other, glassy-eyed. Leaning in, the space between them closes.

Just as their lips touch, there is an explosion. The heat is unbearable, and it pain sears through their bodies. They hold each other tightly.

Shaking. Fire. Tumbling. Blacking out.

"JOHN, JOHN, WAKE UP!" He heard a voice call out. Huh. Wait, it was all a dream, or a night mare.

"Rose… are you… an agent?" His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls. His head was pounding.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Maybe the medicine is driving you mad…" She stops, but only for a second. "I was working when I heard a scream. I come in to see you having a seizure. You scared the wits out of me! But I knew what to do, cause Tony had them when he was a baby. I poured cold water on you, and I screamed to wake you up."

He noticed that moment that he was soaking wet, and so was his rug. Rose looked at him apologetically, and told him she would dry the rug later.

"Well, I'm guessing it was from the medication. I'll call the doctor later and ask for a different prescription. But you know what I really want?"

"What?"

"A hot bath! And a banana would be nice too." Getting up, he leaned on Rose, and she helped him get to the bathroom.

She started running the water, and John said, "Remember to put in soap! I love me a good bubble bath!"

Closing the water before it overflowed, she turned around to see John in just a towel, sitting on the bed just where she left him. She wasn't even going to ask how he did that by himself.

Helping him over to the tub, she wanted to stay to see he got in safely. "Give a man some privacy! If you wanna see some of this later, wait till I'm all healed," He winked at her and chuckled, while she blushed deeply.

"If you want to hide your dignity, how do you expect getting out of there without me seeing anythin'?"

"Well, well… We'll save that for later!" She just laughed and walked out of the bathroom. She would wait in his bedroom until he was finished. Thinking about how she was going to get him out was a hard task. She knew there would be a time she would need to do this.

At her mum's house it was simple, as there were only showers and no tubs. There were also those bars for the disabled on them, so John could do it himself. Oh well, it's better than having to deal with her nagging mum.

Turning on the telly, she turns to the fashion channel. She wouldn't be caught watching it in front of John, as she didn't want to seem plain. They couldn't always have the same taste.

John stays pretty long in the tub, and Rose gets a little worried. "Hey John, you okay?" She can't hear his answer over the sound of splashing.

"Just swell! In fact, you can come in if you want!"

"Well, okay…" She opens the door to see bubbles covering John's body. And bubbles on the floor. She sighs, knowing she'll have to clean up the mess later, and it seems John senses her distress.

"Sorry 'bout the mess. Just trying to get my mind off things… Didn't know I was having a seizure, I thought I was just sleepin'…" He looks at her apologetically, and her eyes soften.

"John," She looks at him, preparing to ask a very important question.

"Yes, Rose?"

"Why were you screaming?"

And that's what led to John telling her the whole nightmare, from start to finish. To when his dream-self got woken up by a bloody Rose, to when they were about to kiss, to the Daleks who made the jeep explode. At the end, Rose's response was just a look of shock.

"So that's why you asked if I was an agent?" He nods. "Well, are you?"

"No John! Are you crazy! I'm too soft to be an agent, and my dad would never open an undercover agency. He's already stressed enough…" She pauses, remembering something he said before. "About the kissing… do you really feel that way about me?"

Wide-eyed, Rose waits for his answer. He stops playing with the bubbles, and composes a serious look on his face. His mouth opens, and closes. And then, opens again.

"What would you do if I said yes?" She doesn't answer, but she just stares at him. The look in her eye tells him to go on.

"Well…. I do… Wait, I really do-"Before he can continue, he gets cut off by Rose kissing him. "I really like you too, John." They smile at each other, before they kiss each other again.

Rose gets slightly turned off by the fact that her clothes are starting to get very wet. But at the same time, she is relieved. So much tension was building up between them, and they have been holding these feelings back for too long. It didn't feel like it was going on too fast because they practically a couple before. Just without the kissing. And other activities… If you know where I am going with this.

She stops, and he looks up at her. "I'm sorry, are we moving too fast?"

"No John! We were practically together before, we just weren't intimate. And nobody knows me as well as you do, and you know I wouldn't stop because I really like you. It's just; my clothes are getting wet,"

"Oh, well then just take them off!" She deeply blushed, and shook her head. He just giggled. He frickin' giggled.

"I've never heard that come out of your mouth," Looking at him, she wonders if the medication was seriously taking toll on John.

"Well, I'm a changed man… I guess you could say. And it's all cause of you!" He holds her hand with his soapy one. And it felt so right.

Rose got towels to sit on, and they just looked at each other. "If I knew an accident would bring us together, I would have done it earlier," He tells her, with a truly genuine look on his face. "Even if it did bring us together, you got hurt in the process. And I would want you to be injured, because that would be sad. But I'm happy it finally got us together," She smiles at him.

"Well, I'm starting to prune. It's that time Rose! It might be easier since we came to conclusions," John winks at her, and he pulls the drain. She immediately goes to grab some towels.

"I have a plan," While holding the towels, she drops down to her knees near the tub. "You wait till the water drains out, and then you cover yourself as best as you can with towels. I will go get you your banana, and call the doctor. Then I'll help you get out."

"I knew there was a reason I fell for you! Quite literally too…."Rose gives him a slightly stern look, but she can't keep it on for too long. She was a sucker for his dark brown eyes.

Putting the towels on the rim of the tub, she left the bathroom. She heard water sloshing, as John moved to pull the plug. Hopefully he wouldn't make even more of a mess than he already did. Although it wouldn't matter, as it was just water and soap. It would probably just clean the floor.

She picked up the robot shaped phone, and dialed the number of John's doctor. He was such a nerd, but she loved it.

"Doctor Oswin's office, how can we be to your service?" A bored voice trilled out. Probably just the receptionist.

"Hi, my boyfriend," She just stopped for the slightest moment, no one would really notice. I mean, he was her boyfriend, right? "-my boyfriend was prescribed some medicine. Quite recently he had a seizure, and we think it's because of the medication. I knew how to deal with the seizure, but is there any way he could get new medicine, or just get off this one?"

"Hold on, I'll transfer your call to Doctor Oswin."

"Okay, thanks." Typical hold music was put on. It was some classical composition, which thankfully didn't last too long. Doctor Oswin answered almost after a minute.

"Hello, this is Doctor Oswin speaking,"

"Hi, this is Rose Tyler. I'm John Smith's girlfriend, and I was wondering if we could get a different prescription of medicine,"

"And why would that be?"

"I think the medicine triggered something which caused John to have a seizure," And a weird dream, which she didn't think would be necessary to mention.

"Have the fellow come in tomorrow afternoon. I'll run a few tests on 'im to see what's going on."

"Thanks!" Rose hung up. Doctor Oswin sounded too casual, she wasn't sure she wanted John to go to him, but John really liked him. Said he cured him once when he had food poisoning, and he wouldn't turn back on an old friend.

All she wanted for the John was the best of care.

Sighing, she walked over to the kitchen to get his snack ready. Was she in love with a monkey? If he could, she was sure he would just live off of bananas for the rest of his life. Probably would get diabetes, but hey, does it matter to him? He just wants the yellow fruit.

She also boils the kettle, and it hisses. John's too old-fashioned to get a water cooker, so instead he uses a slightly rusted blue kettle. A lot of the stuff he owns is the shade of royal blue. It has to be exactly that color, or he'll paint it himself.

She remembered that one time she asked him if he would die his hair that blue, and he actually told her it was a good idea. Because of that, she learned to never tell him to die unnecessary items blue ever again. Wouldn't want him painting the whole town blue, her dad would throw a fit.

Once the water is boiled, she pours it into a porcelain cup. The water still is very hot, and some of it springs out of the cup. And touches Roses skin.

"OOOOOUUUH!" She squeals, and runs her hand under cold water. Apparently she was very vocal.

"You alright Rose?" John calls out, worried about her well-being.

"Just peachy!" Growling she puts a tea bag into the cup, and walks over to the freezer to get some ice cubes to ease the pain of her burning hand.

As she lets the tea brew, she decides to get John out of the tub at that moment. That way everything will be ready by the time they are back in the kitchen.

Walking into the bathroom, she sees John sitting boredly in the tub. The towels are damp, as they covered him while he was still in the water. At least, she inferred that.

"Sexy style, eh?" He asked her, while playing with a corner of one of the towels. She just laughed, and grabbed dry towels for when he got out of the tub.

"I guess, if you're the kind of person to stay in a towel all day."

"No! You know how gross that is?" His face crinkles with disgust at the mention of a towel all day kind of person. One of his roommates in college was like that, and there were many times that the towel almost slipped off. Sometimes the towels had unknown substance stains on them. He just cringed thinking about it.

"How so?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

"If you say so. At least I know I won't have a gross boyfriend."

"I can be gross in other ways, but I won't bring that up." Rose was relieved to see he wasn't surprised by her calling him her boyfriend.

Holding her hand out, his warm hand grabbed it. He pushed himself up and best as he could and Rose could see his muscles flex. Running did him good. Very good, in fact. He got his unbroken leg up before he had to hold on to Rose for support. His broken hand was mostly healed, as it wasn't severely broken before, so it was easier for him to get up.

Rose had to slightly lift him up with the some strength she had.

"I knew those weight training classes would come in handy!" She exclaimed as John safely got out.

"Or maybe dragging me around these past few days has done it,"

"It wasn't dragging. It was assisting."

She sets him on the bed, on top of a dry towel.

"Let me go get you a robe or something, at least, for the mean while," Walking away, he grabs her hand.

"Yes John?" She waits, wondering if he needs something else. "Rose, I just wanted to say thank you. For being the selfless person you are and helping me."

"John, I would've helped even if I wasn't 'selfless'." She puts airmarks around selfless, and giggles. John just smiles, and delicately raises her hand to his lips. Rose turns cherry red, and feels his soft lips gracing her hand.

The blush lasts even when she gets him clothes. She decides to get him boxers, sweatpants, and a big T-Shirt. It has Darth Vader's face on it. John always love his science fiction, even went to conventions if she wasn't mistaken.

John was all dried up, so there was no need for a robe. She was sure he was capable of putting loose fitting clothes by himself, as he did so before.

Rose herself needed to put something else on too, as she was wet from helping John out of the tub.

Once she put on a change of clothes, she went to John's room. Now, he had his clothes on, but they were kind of topsy turvy. He was fixing it, so it was fine. Rose knew not to pester him about helping, because then he would do a whole speech of how he is independent, and so on and so forth.

She would not, under any circumstances, receive a John speech. There was a time when he could do his speeches; after all he is a doctor and a professor. But now was not the time, it was time to recuperate. Maybe even his talking capacity too, unfortunately.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Do you know how uncomfortable this chair is?" John groans, "Whoever designed this chair should have their hands broken!"

"I think this is one of the few times I agree with you, love." Rose tries to position herself to have more comfortable wait. In Dr. Oswin's clinic, of course.

They were both dreading the day, especially the morning of. John was doing a whole filibuster!

_The sun shines through the window, and Rose gets annoyed. She gets up to close the blind, when she hears John mumble, still half asleep. "I don't see the reason why we have to go… I'm a doctor… I could let you examine me, and I'd tell you what to examine-"_

_Before he can continue, Rose laughs. She didn't know if he intentionally meant to have an innuendo there, and even if he didn't, she would probably still not really know what to do even with his guidance. She was sure if he even tried to walk her through, he would get off topic._

"_I don't think that would be a good idea,"_

"_It is Rose! I'm brilliant, so it must work. That way we can sleep in, and avoid awkward nurse situations," He sits up and the sun hits him. He squints his eyes, as the sun slightly blinds him. "Goddamn sun. It may be bloody important, but it sucks in the mornin'." He mumbles on. Rose throws him his favorite blue plaid robe._

_She stuck a banana in the breast pocket just as a complementary treat. She wanted to please her boyfriend of course._

"_Well if you hate the sunshine, why did you call me your sunshine a few weeks ago?" Rose puts her hands on her hips, and raises a brow. _

"_Sunshine usually brings you happiness when you're on a beach eating ice cream, and cruising around. But sunshine in the morning can pester, like you do sometimes."_

_Rose just shakes her head, and helps John out of the bed._

"_For that I'll make you use your crutches the whole day, instead of me dragging you around."_

"_Rose, remember, it's assisting, not dragging." Glaring at him, she gives him the crutches. He groans, but sucks it up._

"_Meanie Rosie Posie."_

"_Shut it, love."_

After they got dressed in very casual clothes, they headed to the car and drove to the office. It was a very beautiful building, standing tall and shiny. It had reflective glass panels on the exterior, as it was a high class clinic.

Being an heiress and well-acclaimed professor has its perks.

The service was very good, as the nurses were very nice. The place had good reviews, as many people got well quickly. "Don't you think that nurse looks kind of like a cat?" John loudly whispers, pointing a nurse that is pushing an I.V.

"John, shush! She could've heard you!"

"No, but really. She has a feline kind of look to her…" Rose just rolled her eyes, and continues reading her magazine. John held her hand, just because he felt like it. Also to show a young doctor that Rose was taken.

John decides he'll put the television on. He is really bored, and he doesn't want to bother Rose. So he takes the remote next to him, and flips the T.V. on. Then he went to the science channel, and watched a guy talk about super string theory.

His voice was so boring, but the subject was so interesting. Multiverses, an interesting concept indeed.

During the commercial break, his name was called.

"John Smith?" A nurse with ginger hair called out, holding a green clipboard. Green is a weird color, he didn't like green.

He got up and adjusted into his crutches. Rose followed behind him. "You should start using blue clipboards." He murmured as he walked through the door to Doctor Oswin's office. The door had a broken name sign on it. Oswin was never really a fixer-upper.

Well, he wasn't very mature looking either with his unkempt ginger hair and glasses too big for his face. But there was one thing for certain, he knew what he was doing, even though it didn't seem like he did.

"Johnny! How are ya'!" Doctor Oswin gets up from his stool that had wheels, which rolled away from how fast he was. "Heard you had an issue with the medicine…"

"I'm better now, thanks to my Rose. How have you been doing Buchanan?" Buchanan was Doctor Oswin's first name. The Buchanans' John knew usually like to be called 'Bucky' but Oswin was proud of his name.

"I've been good, helping people and all," Doctor Oswin says, "Now it's time to see what's going inside that crazy body of yours!"

The doctor goes to his cupboard and pulls out a needle. He then pulls out alcohol wipes, to sterilize the area. John cringes at the sight of the needle; he always hated having his blood taken.

Rose holds his hand the entire time the blood is taken, because she knew if she didn't he would probably hand. He was squeezing her hand so hard, it felt like it would break. "You think you could loosen that a bit?" He looks apologetically at her, just slightly losing his grip.

"I'll send this to a lab to analyze this sample and see if you are allergic to the medication. If there are no signs, I'll give you an MRI. For now, I'll just give you a weaker prescription, as you are healing quite quickly." Doctor Oswin says as he jots down things on a piece of yellow notepad paper.

The nurse comes back in the room to tell Doctor Oswin that another patient has just arrived. "You two are free to go, just take the description for your new medicine with you. I'll call you in about a week to give you the test results."

"Bye Buchanan!"

"Bye John, bye Rose!" The crazy haired doctor calls out as they get out of the sterile smelling room. They both hated clinics, or any hospital for that matter. John was about to get a headache from the too clean smell.

"You know what I feel like doing?" John told Rose as they were walking out of the clinic, "I think we should go to the docks, have a fun day out."

"That would be lovely," Rose said as she opened the car door for John, "what would you like to do first?"

"I think we should go to get ice cream first. Ice cream is good, makes you happy. Comes from cows, and cows are gentle beasts. Did you know when I milked this cow once…" He continued the story as they drove to the docks. Rose hasn't been there for years, and she remembered she went with Mickey.

The drive to the carnival was a bit colorful, let's just put it that way.

John being the picky and stubborn person he was, fought over what music Rose should play on the radio. She knew it was his way, or the high way, so her side of the argument seemed a bit fruitless. She still wouldn't go down without a fight.

"I'm not listen to classical music," she said, "I'm driving, I don't want to fall asleep!"

"Rose, I'm here! If you fall asleep, I'll wake you up pronto! Classical music is great, makes you feel very studious and such. It's a great genre, very calming too," John explained to her, while touching a different button to switch the radio station.

"What's wrong with pop music?"

"It has very promiscuous lyrics, and the beat gives you a headache. Wouldn't want you to have one of those terrible migraines today, now would we?" He told her, reminding her of that one time she had a very painful migraine. And it wasn't because of music, it was because of his loud mumblings, he just wouldn't admit it to himself.

"John, that wasn't because of the- hey!" Stopping midsentence, she swatted his hand off the button that would change the station. She really doesn't want to listen to classical music in the afternoon while driving. It was more of an evening thing, while reading a book and having a nice glass of wine.

"Ow! I can't decipher which is worse, your mum abusing me, or you…" Rose just rolled her eyes and continued to drive.

Guess what music was played the rest of the drive. You got it, classical.

The smell of the sea filled their nostrils as they got out of the car. It was surprisingly a warm and sunny day; thankfully they were wearing light clothing.

"Nothing like a sunny day in London, eh love?" John said as they got onto the board walk. They were heading to the direction of their favorite ice creamery. It was called 'Cream and Cones'. It was owned by an older couple, the Motts', and they were very nice.

It had a tacky exterior, after all, it was quite old fashioned. It attracted a lot of attention, with its neon orange paintjob, which surprisingly wasn't chipping. It also had a huge ice cream cone on the top, which was recently installed for its 20th anniversary.

The inside wasn't all that normal either, with its retro style. They haven't upgraded ever, they only fixed things if they were broken.

It was a self serve place; you had to pay by the ounce. Rose had to help John, as he couldn't walk with his crutches and hold something.

"What do you want, love?" She has taken to calling him love, as he was. They had confessed the night before, and they both said it didn't feel like everything was going too fast. They had already been a couple, just without the intimacy.

"I'll have a mixture of banana and chocolate. Perfect they are together, almost as good as jam and sour cream. Don't make that face! I swear, it's delicious!"

"If you say so… I just won't see for myself," she said and she pressed the lever down on the machine. The frozen treat came out smoothly. "What do you want for the topping?"

The toppings wear held in little glass containers with pink scoops to get them out. They even had candies from a long time ago; Rose had no idea where they got it from. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"I want some jelly babies. Wait, no. A lot of jelly babies. And a lot of chocolate syrup! Did I tell you I love chocolate?" Rose just giggled.

_It's a good thing he does a lot of exercise, or, will do a lot of exercise. With the amount of food he eats, he really needs it._

Once she got his treat ready, she went to pay for his. Then she went to get some for herself, and she quickly seated them at a booth.

The cushioning was black and white, while the table was a sparkly red. It was always clean, and if the booth cushioning ever got ripped, it always disappeared the next day.

While they were eating their ice cream, John had a far away look. Then he started squinting.

"John, do you have somethin' in your eye?"

"No, no. I just thought I saw someone that I know." He put his hand to his coat pocket, and pulled a pair of glasses out.

He always carried one of the many pairs of glasses he had with him.

"Oh! I knew it! I think you'll know it too!" Turning around, Rose did know who it was. Or, who they were.

Mickey, and a mysterious other girl. Moved on pretty quickly, almost as quickly as her.

"Who's she?" She was guessing John knew, as he was pointing to her at first.

"A student of mine named Martha Jones. Always fancied me, seems like she found herself someone new to annoy," He started laughing. And boy was he loud, maybe even too loud, because the couple turned around to look at them.

Mickey glared, while Martha looked extremely excited to see her favorite professor. She took his hand, and pulled him up. She then ran over to their table.

John put his head in his hands and sighed, while Rose looked down and picked at her nails. This would be very interesting, indeed.

"I wish us luck," John mumbled, as Martha got over to the table. She was wearing the most hideous outfit ever, a purple jacket with pink jeans. She had chav make up on. Mickey just looked like he hated his life at the moment.

"Hello John! And who do we have here…" She held her hand out to both of them, Mickey just stood behind her while frowning.

"I'm Rose-" Before she continued, Martha came over and tightly hugged John.

"Oough! Think you could loosen up?!" Blushing, Martha pulled away. Mickey pulled her back and held her hand. She just rolled her eyes at him.

"Nice to meet you Rose! This is my good friend Mickey, we just met a few days ago. Needy fellow he is, lemme tell you that! So, what are doing with John? You his sister or friend or something?"

"I'm actually his girlfriend." Both Mickey's and Martha's mouths dropped. I just give them an awkward smile, and continue eating my ice cream. I knew that strawberry ice cream would save me one day.

"Well… I guess we should be going. It's our first date you see. Maybe we'll see you later." Martha says with a fake enthusiastic tone. "Maybe not." Mickey mumbles under his breath. Thankfully they walked away quickly after that.

"Thank god!" John exhaled, and continued eating his ice cream. I just laughed, but I completely agreed with him. Wouldn't want them spoiling our day, now would we?

Once we finished our ice cream, we had to decide what we were going to do. Our options were quite limited, as John was slightly disabled. We immediately mentally checked off rides, as that would be dangerous for John.

"We could go to the game booths; I was always good with those. Well, at least after many tries… Hey, do you have a lot of spare change on you?"

"Hopefully luck will be on your side today, because I didn't know you sucked at game booths!" John just sighed, and crutched his way over to the water gun booth.

The day turned out to be tiring, as John just had to try everything.

"John, I think it's time we go. The sun has set, and you need your rest," I told him, as a breeze sent chills down my spine.

"But we only did 10 games! There are 15, I need to finish! Please Rosie, let's have some fun!" He grabbed my hand warmly, and pointed it toward the beanie toss.

I gave him a stern look, which was fought back with a puppy dog look. He knew I couldn't resist.

Fortunately, he was pretty good at the games. At least, at my standards, which wasn't saying much. I always sucked at anything that had to do with hand-eye coordination activities, including carnival games.

When we got back in the car, I instantly turned on the heater. It was a cold day, which was pretty normal in England. It certainly wasn't pleasant when you're tired, or any time at that matter.

"I swear, when we get older, we should move to Florida!" John chattered out, breathing air into his hands.

"We?" I smiled at him, thinking the thought that we would be together for a long time.

"Well, if you want to that is. I know I do…"

I kissed him, he was just so sweet. Bookishly sweet. And freakishly tall.

During the drive home, he let me listen to pop music. He didn't even argue, which was surprising. He was just very tired.

When we got home, we all but collapsed in bed. We didn't talk much, as we were already half asleep. I could already feel a cold coming up, as my head was pounding.

But at the moment, I didn't care. John's warmth enveloped me, and it calmed me. By his side, I wouldn't have any other care in the world. He was the light of my life, fire of my loins. I shouldn't quote _Lolita_, but it just matches.

I craved his presence. He was just my missing puzzle piece.

I loved him.

**A/N: I think the next chapter will be the last. I should end this soon, and what happens the rest of their lives will be up to you. But don't worry! I will be starting another AU Tentoo/Rose story! So please follow me, and enjoy!**


	6. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

**6 MONTHS LATER**

"John, wait up! Please!" Rose huffed out as she tried to catch up with him. It's kind of sad that a man that just recovered from a leg injury could run faster than her. It was his first run.

"Rose, I'm going as slow as I can! I'm just so happy to be running again, aren't you?" He smiled, almost 10 feet away from her. And he wasn't out of breath either.

John was a crazy man; Rose knew that after being almost 2 years with him. And she was crazy enough to get married with him soon.

His recovery was quite quick, considering the damage that was done on him. But it sure didn't feel quick, and that's for a fact. They found out his bad dreams weren't because of the medication or the seizures. It was because he had a mild case of insomnia, which he never told her. His system finally had enough and he shut down, and because of that, Rose would always stay awake to make sure he was asleep.

She thinks he got so smart from staying up and reading all the time because he was bored. Turned out he developed it after the Daleks killed his parents. The doctors also think he had one of the seizures during his car accident, as he would've surely paid more attention to the pear truck. But it was faulting of the driver too, or at least, the faux driver.

A stoner stole the truck.

Not much more happened after his recovery, besides them growing closer. Being stuck with someone really shows you who they are, even the parts you don't like too.

The proposal was kind of peculiar too; she could remember it like it was just yesterday. Well, actually, it was just yesterday. And at the strangest place too…

"_Rose, I hate being at the physical therapist! What's the point; I've had the minimum sessions!" He whined to her, as he was walking on the treadmill. It was only on 3.0, and John wanted to go faster. He could, he and Rose practiced at home to, going at walks on the pier. Sometimes even bumping into Mickey and Martha, who have completely changed. Got married and are pregnant, quite quickly too._

"_They just want to make sure you're at your best condition, that's all." She pecked him on the cheek, and pulled a chair over near the treadmill. She was getting quite tired of standing, half an hour had passed._

_The physician was on the other side of the machine, checking on the monitor and writing down things on a piece of paper. Which was on a blue clipboard, all to John's doing._

_When he could start wearing a boot, he resumed his job at the college. He also asked for a large supply of blue clipboards, which was secretly for Oswin's practice. He kept one for himself, but only Rose knew. He got defensive when she teased him about it._

"_John, you are doing very well. You have made a quick and successful recovery." The physician smiled at him when he was on his last lap. _

"_Didn't you also say you wanted me to do something?" John just smiled at her, and looked at Rose._

_The physician gave her a piece of paper, which was under the yellow one the physician was writing on._

_It read: __**Rose Marion Tyler,**_

_**I just wanted to say, you are absolutely brilliant! And fantastic, but so am I! You have helped me so much during my recovery, and I couldn't tell you how thankful I am. I love you for sticking with me even when I was a pain in the arse. That's just you, the selfless and beautiful person you are. And I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else so…**_

_She looked at him. He was squatting, as it was kind of hard for him to kneel with heart monitors stuck all over him._

"_Will you marry me?" _

_Guess what Rose said._

Even though it was romantic, the physician was still there. Bawling her eyes out.

They already set a date, May 16. They both loved Spring very much, and it was going to be a lovely event. It was going to be in the grand opening of the Tyler's new space center. They couldn't wait.

Rose stops to catch her breath. She feels a hand press against hers.

"Even if I run, I'll never without you."

**END**

A/N: It's over! I hope you guys liked it. I decided to keep the epilogue short and sweet. Don't worry though; I will be releasing more Tentoo/Rose fluff soon! Please keep an eye out… Goodbye for now!


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